Stories told by the miller — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
Stories told by the miller
John Stuart Mill · en
Every night the doll and Master Bogey looked across the snowy space to
try and get a glimpse of each other, but, though he could see her
against the firelight through the windows, she could not see him where
he sat in the dim tangle of branches. Madam Bogey watched too, but she
was short-sighted and soon gave it up, though her good heart ached to
think of the poor little creature and all she had to endure. She and
Master Bogey talked about it a great deal.
One night, as he looked from his tree towards the nursery, he saw Miss
Jane, with one of her sisters, standing by the window-sill. He knew it
was Jane, because she was the only one of the little girls who had a
pigtail; he could see its outline as it hung behind her head, with a bow
sticking out, like a fat insect, at the end of it.
Each had put her doll to stand on the window-sill, inside the pane. He
couldn’t tell whether it was the blue or the pink lady who was there,
but he saw the shadow of a smart hat. He hoped very much that his friend
was looking out for him, and he waved his hand. All at once she slipped
on the sill and fell out of sight! He saw Jane stoop down, her pigtail
sticking out farther than ever as she did so, and drag her up by the
arm, shaking her—oh, so cruelly! She began to slap her, first on this
side, then on that; he almost fancied he could hear her crying. Again
and again she struck her, and Master Bogey shouted and threw up his arms
in despair. Oh, how hard it was that he could not reach her!
“Mother!” he cried. “Oh, mother! Look! look!”
Up came Madam Bogey, hurrying to see what was the matter with her son.
When she saw how dreadfully the poor doll was being treated, she was
almost as angry as he was; and after Jane and her sister had disappeared
from the window with their dolls, she still sat talking to him. It was
quite late when he went to bed at last, and she stayed beside him and
held his hand. He cried himself to sleep with rage and pity.
Now, Father Bogey had been away for some time on business, and when he
returned next day his wife and he had such a long consultation that
Master Bogey thought it would never be done. They sent him to a
different tree while it was going on. He sat there rather crossly,
looking at them as they nodded and shook their heads and nodded again.
He knew it was all about something very interesting. When they called
him back he was quite pettish.